Somebody Else
by Vampire Queen of NOLA
Summary: On Christmas Eve, Klaus finds himself audience to a scene that he never would have expected. Oneshot.


**A/N: So, on my profile, it says Klaroline is my OTP of OTPs. That's true, and while this oneshot involves Steroline, let me make something clear- for me, they're a BrOTP, nothing more. However, after a long talk with a friend concerning the direction writers seem to be taking Caroline on TVD and listening to the song "So Soon" by Marianas Trench, I found myself inspired. If the writers did put Caroline and Stefan together, how would Klaus react? This was written purely to explore that- Klaus seeing his former best friend and pseudo-brother with the woman he loves. I do not, nor will I ever, ship Steroline. This is _just_ meant to explore Klaus' inner turmoil and reaction!  
**

* * *

_I know some things should just stay broken_  
_I'm well aware this should remain unspoken_  
_But I've been working on the things that I was learning all wrong, oh_  
_I know sometimes I only twist you  
And maybe I'm too proud to say I missed you_

_But what if here and now, I tell you that I'm all figured out?_  
_Or maybe I just like how that sounds_  
_I know we said it's just as well  
That I won't keep, keep you for myself_  
_But I don't want to see you happier with somebody else_

* * *

Of all the things to see, of all the things to stumble across when all he meant to do was check on her, this was possibly the worst. He had almost expected to see her with Lockwood, or perhaps the quarterback, but _this_... A starlit night, his vantage point from the deep shadows offering him all too clear of a view of them sitting together on her doorstep. The way his arm laid so casually over her shoulders, the way she leaned against him as she giggled and admitted that the night had been one to remember. The hybrid should have tuned the conversation out, but he couldn't. It seemed to literally be impossible, just as tearing his eyes away was; he was frozen, nearly a statue in the wake of the betrayal crushing his heart and lungs.

"-best Christmas Eve party _ever_," Caroline was saying, a light giggle accompanying the words. He could see the way Stefan's grin flashed in response, and how he tugged her closer to him.

"Well, I mean, you planned it. Did you expect anything less?" Klaus' hand lifted to touch his chest. He was almost amazed at how this wrenching, stabbing pain was worse than anything he'd felt before. Even the imagined pain of the white oak stake imprinted on his mind by that bastard, Silas, couldn't match this. He'd left New Orleans behind, abandoned it all in favor of coming to see her, tell her _everything_ and fight for the chance he so desperately wanted. If anyone could show her the magic of eternity, he could, but he'd never once considered that his former friend- near _brother_- would be taking that chance away from him.

_I'm a terrible person, Caroline,_ he'd wanted to say. He'd had it all planned out in his mind. _I've done horrible things, but for you, I want to be better. I want to be worthy of the magnificent light you've brought into my life._ The obsession with regaining his family's kingdom had been empty. He'd drank constantly, brooding and finding himself more emotional than he ever had been in his long life; Elijah had noticed it, Rebekah had noticed it, and even Marcel seemed to see that he was not the man that had ruled over New Orleans in the beginning. It had been a subtle shift, but Caroline was his angel, his _salvation_, and he should have never left her behind. What did any of that matter anymore? Once, it had been a beautiful place, but all he could see now were the shadows and the distinct lack of the blonde now sitting wrapped in the embrace of a man he'd once called his brother.

But perhaps he deserved this. Was this his punishment, for all of the evil, vile things he'd done over the years? He'd had his reasons- he _always_ had- but that didn't justify the lives lost, the lives ruined at the mere snap of his fingers. He was a demon. Damnation was all that awaited him, and Caroline, she was an angel. She deserved much more than he could offer her. Klaus knew that. He knew it just as he knew that Stefan was someone who would, at least, never hurt her. Could he even say as much of himself? He'd claimed it, but he had almost killed her before then, more than once. It was because of his temper, his paranoia and how broken he was after years of being hunted by his own father- but those were excuses, and there was nothing to excuse what he'd done. None of that mattered, because he _had_ hurt her, and no matter how much he might hate himself if it happened again... _Maybe I'm pure evil, and I just can't help myself._ It could happen again; it terrified him to think of that, but it could.

"I stole something from the party," he heard Stefan saying sheepishly, and he blinked the tears filling his eyes away to watch as the other man's hand fished in his jacket under Caroline's curious stare.

"Stealing? You? You're kidding."

"I'm not! But it's for good reason, trust me. Here, close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Caroline." She was scoffing, but she closed her eyes, and Stefan pulled what looked to be a small plant of some sort from an inner pocket of his jacket, lifting it above their heads. "Okay. You can open them now. Look up." The bright blue eyes Klaus had fallen for flashed upwards in curiosity, and he nearly winced to see the blush filling her cheeks when she saw what Stefan was holding.

"Is that...?"

"Mhm."

"I-I... you do realize what mistletoe means, right? I mean, if you don't, that's totally okay, but I-" The hybrid tried to turn away from the scene. He didn't want to see this, didn't want to witness Stefan leaning forward to interrupt her with a kiss, did _not_ want to see how easily she relaxed against him. He couldn't look away. It was something he'd never forget, but though he'd expected he would be angry, he wasn't. Of all of the things he was feeling, anger was not one of them- the most prominent was sadness and a bittersweet sort of happiness. He'd never deserved her, and he didn't want to acknowledge how much better for her the younger Salvatore would be, but it was the truth. If there was anyone he had to see her with, at the very least he knew that she would be safe, as would her heart. He ran a hand over his mouth, stepping further into the shadows in an effort to simply vanish completely.

All of the things he'd wanted to say to her, and now, they'd remain unspoken, a heavy weight on his heart and tongue.

_I'll leave it all behind. Start fresh, stay by your side however you want me- a friend, a lover, whatever you want._ No. He wouldn't dare even show his face to her. His hand delved into his pocket, tugging his phone free and finding the number he wanted without much thought at all. As he pressed it to his ear, he watched Stefan pulling away with a confused look, retrieving his own phone and answering with a tentative greeting.

"Take care of her," Klaus told him, his voice a good deal weaker and huskier than he'd expected. Swallowing hard, he finally managed to turn his back on the two. "Keep her safe. Keep her happy." Before he could answer, the hybrid hung up, exhaling slowly. He wasn't sure where he would go, what he would do. New Orleans was no home to him. Elijah was wrapped up in Hayley, Rebekah surely still carried on the romance that she assumed he was in the dark about; he cared nothing for the baby, couldn't bring himself to. There was a whole world at his fingertips, but it left him confused and empty, because it wasn't _his_ world. If he glanced back, he would _see_ his world. His light. His salvation. _She still may come to me, one day,_ he tried to tell himself, but it felt empty and hopeless. Caroline Forbes had changed his life in ways she would never truly know. She'd inspired things in him that he'd thought had died long ago.

_I love you, Caroline. Merry Christmas._


End file.
